Title

Presenter Information

Document Type

Oral Presentation

Location

SURC Ballroom C/D

Start Date

16-5-2013

End Date

16-5-2013

Abstract

The current research was designed to examine if motivation to engage in exercise can change in response to differing emotional context and message framing of the behavior. In particular, self-reported motivation and desire to exercise were measured after an anger, fear, or neutral emotion-inducing task was followed by a short, realistic narrative on health behavior that was framed as either an opportunity to gain something or lose something. In the current study, participants were undergraduate psychology students at Central Washington University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions: 1) completing an anger-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 2) completing a fear-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 3) completing a control-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 4) completing an anger-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative; 5) completing a fear-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative; and 6) completing a control-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative. Based upon previous research on intentions to eat healthy food, it was hypothesized that, overall, participants exposed to an anger-induction task would be more motivated to exercise than those participants exposed to the fear or control task. It was also hypothesized that the combination of an anger-induction task with a gain-frame narrative would result in the greatest increase in motivation to exercise. The results of this study should have implications for developing effective motivational plans to increase exercise and health behaviors.

Recommended Citation

Osterdahl, Stephanie and McLaughlin, Trese, "The Effects of Message Framing and Emotional Context on Health Behavior" (2013). Symposium Of University Research and Creative Expression (SOURCE). 127.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/source/2013/posters/127

Poster Number

49

Faculty Mentor(s)

Kara Gabriel

Additional Mentoring Department

Psychology

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May 16th, 2:15 PMMay 16th, 4:44 PM

The Effects of Message Framing and Emotional Context on Health Behavior

SURC Ballroom C/D

The current research was designed to examine if motivation to engage in exercise can change in response to differing emotional context and message framing of the behavior. In particular, self-reported motivation and desire to exercise were measured after an anger, fear, or neutral emotion-inducing task was followed by a short, realistic narrative on health behavior that was framed as either an opportunity to gain something or lose something. In the current study, participants were undergraduate psychology students at Central Washington University. Participants were randomly assigned to one of six experimental conditions: 1) completing an anger-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 2) completing a fear-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 3) completing a control-writing task and reading a gain-frame narrative; 4) completing an anger-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative; 5) completing a fear-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative; and 6) completing a control-writing task and reading a loss-frame narrative. Based upon previous research on intentions to eat healthy food, it was hypothesized that, overall, participants exposed to an anger-induction task would be more motivated to exercise than those participants exposed to the fear or control task. It was also hypothesized that the combination of an anger-induction task with a gain-frame narrative would result in the greatest increase in motivation to exercise. The results of this study should have implications for developing effective motivational plans to increase exercise and health behaviors.